Message from Director General Fernando Frutuoso de Melo

The Director General for International Cooperation and Development, Fernando Frutuoso de Melo, has told capacity4dev how a revitalised EU met its commitments to aid effectiveness in 2014, and he flagged the coming year as a unique chance to show how development benefits Europeans and partner countries alike.  

Mr Frutuoso de Melo began his discussion with Stina Soewarta, Head of the Communication and Transparency Unit, by welcoming the arrival of the new Commission led by President Jean-Claude Juncker, who was directly elected after his party received the most votes at elections last May.

“Mr Juncker was elected by the parliament, there is a wide majority supporting the president and the new Commission and that is a very good outcome that has definitely increased the democracy of the system and the legitimacy of the Commission,” Mr Frutuoso de Melo said. 

“We have a new Commission from the first of November. We have new working methods, we are all still adapting to it but I think it is very positive – this willingness to work together across the Commission to try to get around the silo mentality. And I think it is very positive as well that the Commission after one month in office launched a major programme to relaunch growth, jobs and investment in Europe.”

Indeed, Mr Frutuoso de Melo emphasised the way the Commission’s work in International Cooperation and Development was part of a broader strategy to help citizens everywhere.

“Development is not something outside all the rest of EU policies, it is not something different, autonomous - no. It is part of the European effort to contribute to ameliorate the well-being of citizens in Europe and citizens outside Europe...”

To do this Mr Frutuoso de Melo said there was a need for all Directorates General to work together harmoniously.

If 2014 was a year of internal successes (such as through joint programming, and concentrating aid where it is most needed in at-risk countries), then 2015 promises to be a chance to “reinforce the legitimacy” of European development work to the broader public.

A new set of Sustainable Development Goals will be agreed in September 2015, and Mr Frutuoso de Melo welcomed the “very positive” synthesis report recently received from the Secretary-General of the United Nations. 

2015 is also the European Year for Development, the first European Year to deal with external action of the EU. Among other things, it aims to inform citizens about development cooperation, foster citizens’ direct involvement, and raise awareness of the mutual benefits of EU development cooperation.

Mr Frutuoso de Melo said this final point was particularly important. 

“I think more and more we need to reinforce the legitimacy of what we do by showing the citizens why, how and the results of using their money. And I think also that is an opportunity to explain to our public opinion, to our citizens, the common interest in doing what we do.”

He explained that this common interest was grounded in common values such as human rights and the rule of law, but went even further.

“There are also huge interdependencies that whatever we do with our partners is also important for European citizens. Like obviously climate and environment interdependencies, there are economic interdependencies, but there are also more and more demographic interdependencies. So I think it is important to show that doing what we do is very important for the beneficiaries in the partner countries but it is also important for the European citizens.”

This collaborative piece was drafted with input from Fernando Frutuoso de Melo, Simona Schlede and Stina Soewarta with support from the capacity4dev.eu Coordination Team.